


Looking Forward

by pok3d3x



Series: Oath of the Gaywatch [5]
Category: Magic: The Gathering (Card Game)
Genre: Anxiety, Cultural Differences, Culture Shock, Gardens & Gardening, Gen, Getting to Know Each Other, Social Anxiety, Talking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2020-01-08
Packaged: 2021-02-24 15:34:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21860239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pok3d3x/pseuds/pok3d3x
Summary: The Gatewatch is getting used to living on Ravnica together, and to Nissa's confusion, she's the only one who seems not to fit in. Liliana decides to illuminate why this may be and make helpful suggestions, though why she's putting this effort in is anyone's guess.
Series: Oath of the Gaywatch [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/608746
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This shorter piece is going to take place across the time of Looking Back/Standing Still, and end in the beginning reaches of Stitch in Time.

Liliana walked to the upstairs garden, slow steps making soft taps until she broke the barrier into the unnatural placement of a natural setting. She knew the elf would be here; Nissa was always here except for when her presence was mandatory.

Sure enough, Liliana spotted her target spread eagle in the dirt and moss. Liliana wasn't afraid to get dirty, but she saw no need to ruin the hem of her dress for nothing. Lifting it just off the ground, she made way until she was near Nissa, only making her presence known with a soft clearing of her throat, or so she thought. 

Nissa didn't move at all, only commenting softly," You don't disturb the ground as much when you walk."

"Oh?"

"Most people here walk loudly."

Liliana brushed a clearing off on a nearby ledge and sat, now conscious of how gently she moved. She'd taken to gracefulness as a way of showcasing her power, and she certainly relied on it when avoiding detection, but sometimes she forgot just how ingrained it was into her natural gait. 

She didn't know much about Nissa, in fact, she would say she knew the least about her out of the whole team. Nissa was also very different from everyone else, and would take some investigation to understand how her mind worked. Liliana could play Jace like a fiddle, and to be honest, most could play Gideon with just a little motivation. Chandra was easy to control, like any fire, all it took was adding kindling or diminishing fuel. Nissa was a brand new challenge.

"I hope my presence doesn't bother you?"

"No." That wasn't exactly true. She still distrusted the veil and its holder, but with the Eldrazi defeated and only due to her help, Nissa fought with herself that Liliana deserved the benefit of doubt. Her eyes fell to Liliana's hip before she could she could stop herself; the benefit of doubt was surely small.

Liliana had to lean in to hear, though she knew the answer before it came. The little she did know of the elf was that without the passion of her world behind her, she was unobtrusive and evasive. She probably wouldn't protest if Liliana sat right next to her, despite clearly abhoring such proximity when Jace and Gideon obliviously stood right next to her.

"What are you doing, exactly?"

Nissa took a deep breath, then another, and slowly sat up. Opening her eyes, she looked to Liliana and said," I was a tree."

"I see."

Nissa dropped her gaze, hearing the dubiousness and lack of understanding. The people she talked to these days couldn't grasp the experiences she lived. She was used to feeling like an outsider, having spent a substantial amount of time with various tribes and on other planes, but it was isolating to know she was the only one with such a connection to the life around her.

Liliana noted her misstep, but continued like nothing went wrong. Learn for the future, don't dwell on the failures. Most people looked for confirmation that they should feel how they did. If one simply kept the conversation moving, small slights could usually be remedied. "It is a lovely night, as a tree or no."

Nissa sat quietly, waiting for Liliana to say more. The others always had much to say. She looked to the necromancer uncertainly as she said no more. "I'm sorry, is there something I can help you with?"

"I came to see how you're doing."

Nissa's ears drooped slightly. "Excuse me?"

"This place is so different than your home, and I know it's been hard to adjust, to the rooms if nothing else." She took in how Nissa sat, back proud and tall, but legs pulled to her chest and arms curled around, taking up as little space as possible.

Nissa nodded. Knitting her words together carefully, she said," It can be difficult to talk with everyone. I am very different than they are."

"You don't seem to have a lot to say," Liliana commented. Nissa always waited for the other to speak first unless she had urgent business, and rarely spoke up in groups.

Nissa shook her head, practically whispering as she said," I have much to say, but no one who understands it." It was uncomfortable to be contrary to the other speaking.

"I may not understand, but I'm a good listener," Liliana promised.

Nissa regarded the other planeswalker with a little hesitation. She didn't know how to feel about her. She saw how Jace looked at her when he thought no one was looking, with a heavy heart and bitter distrust. Gideon gave her wide berth and rarely treated her with the same attention he paid Jace and Chandra, and unfortunately, Nissa. Chandra was the only one to seem to think of her neutrally, and Nissa didn't think she knew Liliana as well as the others did form how they spoke. Then there was her taste in arcane arts and the tools she used to boost her power...

Seeing this wasn't going anywhere, Liliana got to her feet and said," Well, I won't bother you any longer. Do you want a tent? It's supposed to rain tonight."

"I will be fine. Thank you for your concern." Nissa was surprised anyone noticed she'd been sleeping up here. No one seemed to pay her much mind despite how hard they tried to talk to her. They all seemed more focused on conversing with her than seeing how she was. Liliana seemed to pay a little more interest though, Nissa thought. Still, she sought to learn only through spoken questions when one could learn so much just from observing.

"I'll see you around, darling."

Nissa raised an eyebrow at the affectionate pet name, but said nothing.


	2. Chapter 2

It was a few nights later that Liliana visited again, and an interesting conversation took hold.

Catching a hint of interest, Liliana asked," Have you ever experimented with black mana?"

Nissa tried to reign in her surprise; how had Liliana picked up on that? It had been years ago that she considered it, back when she was journeying. Her mind drifted to the Llorowyn elves. "N-no," she answered. "But I—"

"Black magic isn't evil, like so many simpletons would have you believe," Liliana preemptively countered. She'd heard all the arguments against swamp aligned mana. Liliana simpered, knowing full well how cliché her words were and would be. "It simply is the opposite of life and knowing how to work with it."

Nissa bobbed her head curtly, then paused and looked to Liliana. She didn't have to blindly agree, she felt Liliana would listen to her. She could say what was on her mind. "I had interest in learning its ways when I was a traveler, but these days, I have found calm in just relying on nature."

"Death is a part of nature," Liliana reminded.

"Yes, but it can also be harnessed as the cycle of life. From one's death another life is furthered. Every tree cut down to kindle flames or builds homes is a link in the cycle, just as we are when we return to the earth providing to future fauna. It can be seen as the furtherance of life, rather than be broken out of the cycle with death."

"Fair enough," Liliana dismissed, not wanting to place any lasting stress on the topic so early on. She might entice Nissa later, but she never would if she left a bitter taste in the elf's mouth when they barely knew each other. With a playful wink, she added," But I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the idea that decay isn't just another link in that same chain. The body has to break down and feed the trees somehow."

Nissa frowned and played with her loose hair idly. She never had been particularly great with arguing her case. Her voice was a little brusque as she muttered," I guess."

"We don't have to have this conversation," Liliana offered, sweetening her voice. "I was just curious."

"No, it's fine," Nissa insisted.

Picking on Nissa a little for her recurrent use of the word, Liliana asked," So has _everything_ been fine enough for you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Have you been feeling more like a part of a group?"

Nissa was a little affronted as she reminded," I gave my oath, I am a part of the group."

"I'm not doubting your loyalty, honey. I'm doubting your happiness."

Nissa's ears rose stiffly, her shoulders becoming tense. Liliana was confident she'd hit the nail on the head. Nissa wasn't happy, or at least not comfortable here. The anxiety that she was trying to control right now said it all.

"Everyone else is so different," Nissa finally settled on," but I'm happy here." 

Her ears drooped as she knew Liliana didn't fall for it. Bunching her hair now and beginning to braid it, Nissa continued," Everyone is from different planes, but only I stick out."

"You think as a group, sweetie. It's not bad to stick out, but that's why if you were wondering."

Nissa regarded her like she'd spoken in tongues. "We _are_ part of a group."

"Yes, but they think as individuals."

"I think for mysel—"

Liliana quickly interjected a more detailed explanation," I mean that they think about themselves, their opinions, their feelings, interests, desires, what have you, before the group. 'I like this', 'I don't want to do that', but you think in terms of the greater whole. 'It would be best for the group if I stayed here' and 'This place is uncomfortable, but no one else seems to think so, so it's fine'. I'm not saying you don't think for yourself, but you don't put as much emphasis on your personal feelings as you do the group's as a whole."

Nissa uncomfortably shrugged her shoulders. It was more than a little awkward to be so detailedly analyzed and spoken about. Even if Liliana didn't mean to be critical, it felt negative as she further pointed out that Nissa truly was different and that everyone was busy thinking of themselves instead of working painstakingly to maintain the group as she did. She looked to the earth beneath her, running her fingers through the moss as another pang of homesickness hit her.

"They're painfully obtuse, so you won't have much luck if you're waiting on them to catch on that you're not happy," Liliana finished.

"I don't want them to—I want to be happy and them be happy _together_."

"If you want togetherness, hit up the Selesnya Conclave. Just don't stick around too long, lest their order drive you nuts."

"Have you spent a lot of time with the guilds?" It hadn't occurred to her to actually check out the guilds. She felt like an outsider, not attached to this plane, and had doubted there was a place for her there.

"Sure, I get on with the Orzhov charmingly, and I've had _talk_ with the Golgari," she said like she was discussing passing fashions. She considered giving more advice. Such as, don't join a group; align with them. Reap the benefits, but allow oneself an out. She knew it would draw her oath into question though, so she bit her tongue no matter how good of advice it would have been.

She shrugged and said quietly," I don't think I'd fit in with the self-obsessed guilds any better than our gatewatch."

"Just try talking to them—guild, watch, whoever. Play a bit of an investigator. Pretend you have to learn things about them—things you can't easily observe in one conversation." Seeing the nonplussed expression Nissa bore, Liliana rolled her eyes and put on a charming grin. "Say, let's practice."

"That's ridiculous. I already know important things about you."

"Do you know my favorite way to relax or my favorite season?"

"Those things aren't…" They weren't important, not in the context of their conversation. Not to just know. The arbitrary knowledge that Liliana liked a certain season more didn't change what season it was, and it didn't give Nissa any detail on how they could keep their friendship healthy.

"C'mon, just play along," Liliana goaded.

"Sure, um, what's your favorite season?"

"Well, on this plane, I'm rather fond of fall. It's brisk but not too cold, and the festivities lend themselves to good food and drink. You?"

"I haven't been on this plane long, but I," she paused, her ears twitching. "Spring on Zendikar, in my home woods, is beautiful. I miss its gentle warmth and the fresh smell of nature."

"Oh, that sounds lovely. How hot does it get in the summer?"

"I don't really know the scales of Ravnica, or…" Nissa looked to Liliana, sure she should know what plane her teammate hailed from, but coming up blank.

"Innistrad," Liliana supplied, encouraging openness, but not desiring it herself. She spent a great deal on that plane, so it wasn't entirely a lie, but it wasn't the truth either. She doubted Nissa had been to her home plane, as she got the feeling the elf didn't like traveling much, and didn't need to draw curiosity to it.

"It gets quite hot."

"Dry and hot, wet and hot...?"

"Very wet. Some days it doesn't have to rain for water to be visible in the air."

"My hair would get rather frizzy in the summer then," Liliana mused. That was most planes, if she was entirely honest.

Nissa had to switch off the topic of her home, her chest aching ever so slightly. "What do you do to relax?"

"I always enjoy having a glass of wine. Listening to music is quite nice. I'm especially quite fond the symphonic music of Innistrad." She wondered if the Woldwaker ever had enjoyed a proper orchestra. It'd be a shame if she hadn't, but Liliana found it hard to imagine Nissa dressing up and attending such a formal event.

"I love music," Nissa said, perking up. "My friend taught me many melodies." Her stomach twisted as she thought about this. She was homesick, but at the same time, she was a little glad to be outside of her tribe's strict rules that forbade such teachings in its fear of the animist ways.

"See? We've learned so much about each other we would have never learned this century if we waited for them to come up naturally. Finding something in common is a good step towards beautiful friendships."

Nissa hedged and agreed half heartedly," I suppose." Liliana seemed to full of good advice, and while she found the necromancer disconcerting, especially so in the beginning, she was beginning to wonder why she so reluctant to be her friend. The 'verse knew she could use a few friends right now.

Liliana's words were strangely helpful, strangely… _aware_ of Nissa's worries and pains. She was unexpectedly kind, and she went out of her way to spend time with her, respecting Nissa's choice in setting and behavior. Liliana was remarkably as thoughtful as she was provocative.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm making such progress with my writing, that I'm going to try a few weeks of double-time posting. Through the month of January, I'll be posting a chapter of this story, followed by the next story—Give // Take—on Wednesdays _and_ Fridays.
> 
> **Trigger Warning** : Liliana getting up to her manipulative bullshit and crossing lines, both emotional and physical.

Nissa was almost anticipating Liliana's arrival, and was quite honestly glad when she did come to the roof. Liliana didn't come every night, but she had been coming many, and Nissa was finding herself looking forward to the nights she did.

She had even ended meditation early in eagerness of Liliana swinging by. Nissa had been really uncomfortable at first, Liliana's choice of magic not doing her any favors, but Liliana's calm and constant presence was unobtrusive and relaxing; she didn't wantonly invade her space. In this world of harsh angles, unnatural light, and plethoras of streets, a little piece of comfort was exciting.

"I saw you talked to Chandra earlier. How'd it go?"

Nissa bit her lip, feeling her cheeks warm. Liliana knew, Nissa realized. She could see completely through Nissa, and knew exactly how she felt—probably better than Nissa did herself. The worldwaker could tell that Liliana brought more experience with her everywhere she went. It begged simple respect as an elder of Nissa, despite looking so young and being a human no less. She thought a lot of what advice and observations Liliana had for her.

"Well, I told her interests of mine, and she responded in kind," Nissa said with a small smile. It had seemed awkward to bring up pointless facts about herself for no reason save the sake of it, but Chandra had seemed eager to listen. Liliana had been right. "Thank you."

"Of course, honey," Liliana said, looking down to Nissa as she made way for her usual spot at the brick half wall.

"We talked of music, it reminded me of you." Nissa hazarded a small smile to the necromancer. "Lili, do you like stringed instruments?"

She didn't even hear the question as her face froze and she asked," What did you call me?"

"...Lili, like the beautiful flower. I'm sorry—I thought you liked nicknames."

"How sweet," Liliana said, shaking her head to dismiss the uneasiness and simpering softly.

Nissa was unsure if she should use the nickname again; the mixed signals were hard to sift through. On the one hand, she'd seemed startled at the name Nissa had called her, but it could also come off as standoffish if she backed down to full name.

"To answer your question," Liliana said, hoping to skip over the brief discomfort without leaving time for reflection. "Yes, I suppose I do. I assume you do?"

"Yes, I love them."

Liliana took note and took advantage of how openly Nissa seemed ready to talk tonight.

~~  
~~

"So, you and Chandra have been getting close," Liliana commented as she found Jace in what had become the common room. He was reading, but not paying the kind of attention that warned not to bother him.

Looking up from his reading with a bitter scowl, he flatly asked," What are you doing here? You don't even live here."

Mocking an air of offence, Liliana raised a hand to her chest and asked," Can't a girl visit her friends?"

"You don't have friends," he bit back, looking back to the pages of ancient text.

"I'm not a mirror, baby."

"I've told you to keep the pet names for someone who cares."

Sitting on the table beside him, smirking as he scooted the book away and turned his shoulder to make him look at her, she cooed," You know I'll never stop with the names." She paused and drawled," _Darling_."

She didn't even particularly like gaggingly sweet pet names, but at some point they'd started to bother Jace, and what started as ironic had become frighteningly frequent.

She'd needled him earlier that day, and he never was particularly in the mood to speak with her. After all that happened on Innistrad, he felt guilty looking in her eyes; after all that happened before, he felt enraged that she could meet his eyes so easily. It didn't take much of her harassment to fluster him these days. 

With a begrudging aversion of his gaze, he asked flatly," Does your visit have a point?"

"I just noticed you and Nalaar go on frequent outings. One may even call them… _dates_."

"Can't one visit their friends?" he echoed, turning a page. He couldn't truly read with her distracting presence, especially when she leaned over like… He raised an illusion so she wouldn't catch his blush, but he acknowledged it was probably of little use. She knew exactly how to draw his attention.

"I've seen the way you look at her," Liliana whispered, leaning even closer, lower. "You're not interested in being just friends."

Keeping up the facade he was still reading, he dragged a finger across a sentence, and then the next. "If you've noticed me, then you must have noticed Chandra. She's enamored with someone else."

Remembering the past long abandoned, when he and another both vied for her attention, Liliana simpered and reminded," Another's love interest never stopped you in the past."

Snapping his attention to her, he spat," I can accept what's happened between us in the past, but don't get Chandra and Nissa wrapped up in your games." A little flushed under his illusion, he continued softly, but firmly," Don't hurt them for the sick vendetta you have against me. _Please_."

She trailed a finger across his back, her natural temperature cold enough to feel through his clothes, and Jace looked away uneasily. "It's nice to know you can care about _someone's_ feelings, though I must admit it hurts to know you pick favorites," she pouted, clear enjoyment cracking the facade.

Languidly massaging the shoulder her hand came to rest on, she commented," You've always been easy into love, the poor romantic lead who found himself in a tragedy."

Jerking his shoulder away he said through gritted teeth," I may be a hopeless romantic, but at least I can recognize boundaries." He didn't want to ruin his friendship with Chandra. She and Nissa seemed so good for each other too, he wouldn't let himself get in the way of something beautiful.

"Oh, _can_ you, dear? Trampling them is just your hobby?"

"Again with the pet na—Just _stop!_ " He slammed an open hand to the table, a loud smack echoing muffledly in the open library. The books swallowed the sound, but not the rage in his eyes or his voice as he ground out," There are boundaries that I would rather never cross again, but I will if I have to." His eyes glowed dangerously.

She knew when she stepped too far. Getting to her feet, Liliana bowed her head as she took a step back. Distancing herself further into an over pronounced bow, she mocked reverence as she said, "I understand, O' Glorious Guildpact. Forgive me my intrusion, O' Great One." She also knew how to gently balance on the line between pushing buttons and danger.

Liliana glanced up, seeing the pain in Jace's eyes. She frowned; he was no fun anymore, too easily hurt.

~~  
~~

"Lili," Nissa greeted, smiling softly. With how much the necromancer frequented, she was beginning to get used to her presence. She paid close attention to how Liliana greeted others, hoping to emulate how Liliana herself wished to be welcomed.

"My sweet Nissa, how are you this evening?" Liliana tried to keep the frustration out of her voice.

"Today I was able to keep a flock of songbirds nearby and learn a song from them before they left."

Liliana knew the ferocity that lied in waiting in the elf, but still she found the innocence endearing. Now to toy with it. 

She sauntered forth, cradling a blooming flower hanging from a tree as she walked past. "These flowers are lovely," she complimented, knowing Nissa had brought them forth this morning.

Nissa nodded appreciatively, watching as Liliana sat on the ground beside her. That was curious; Liliana was one of the few people who usually gave her space. She was an arm length away, which was more than enough space, better than the shoulder to shoulder distance that Gideon often naturally fell to, but it stood out from her usual distance. 

Liliana crossed her legs, knees poking out from her iconic slit dress, and leaned back on her arms. Looking up to the stars that were all but obstructed from the over saturation of light, Liliana coyly commented," Chandra has become so close with Jace lately..."

When this didn't get a reply Liliana added," They go out every week together."

"They're friends." Nissa hadn't initially replied since she saw no need, but she was starting to pick up that Liliana had intentions with her initial statement. She'd assumed Liliana was just being like everyone else, stating the obvious because people here didn't usually rely on reading the atmosphere alone. Her eyes gained a slightly strained look as she tried to figure out what Liliana was up to. 

"She doesn't speak to Jace like she does Gideon…" Liliana rolled to sitting on her side, extending her leg so the pale skin caught the moonlight enticingly. 

A distinct scowl came to Nissa's face as she retorted," I don't speak to Gideon as I do you, either." 

Liliana walked a hand towards Nissa, following up with fluidly getting to her knees and crawling a little further. "Do you only see me as a… friend?" Her bare knee scuffed against a gnarled root as she inched closer.

A mix of pain and fear flashed in Nissa's eyes as she answered," Yes." 

Had she mislead Liliana—had she been playing into expectations and now letting Liliana down? Would Liliana be mad at her? Nissa didn't want to hurt Liliana, she was her closest friend since settling down on this plane. They didn't know each other well, but Liliana took the time to be quiet and cautious with Nissa, she took the time to explain things softly and help Nissa fit in better.

"Really?" Liliana drew out the question slightly, crawling the last of the way so she was almost pressed up to Nissa. 

With the necromancer closing in, Nissa tried to scoot back, but found she'd been cornered to the tree and would have to move drastically to get away—something she would rather avoid so as to attempt not to hurt Liliana's feelings further.

"When two people spend so much time together…" Liliana shifted her weight so she could raise one hand from the ground to Nissa's face. Tracing Nissa's long ear with a ghostly touch, her fingertips just barely making contact, she trailed down her cheek and came to cup her chin. "All alone, day after day… There's usually more than just _friendship_ there," she whispered.

Nissa's heart hammered erratically, and it was hard to swallow. She felt paralyzed, the relaxed, cold grip Liliana had stealing away her warmth and resistance. She couldn't disappoint her best friend, she thought as she shut her eyes, but she also acknowledged she must be honest to herself. Drawing on the energy around her, Nissa rose to her feet swiftly and grew giant vines from the tree, ensnaring Liliana.

The look of surprise on the human's face only fell to anger as she glared at Nissa and hissed," Just how many people do you think _Chandra_ sees intimately?"

Nissa could see plainly now that Liliana only aimed to hurt her. "Yes, Chandra is good at making friends. Long roots support a long life," she said calmly, returning a collected anger that burned in her full green eyes. "But you see the need to entangle yours where they don't belong."

Liliana expertly smothered the shocked pain that cut across her, only displaying control as she rotted the vines holding her and fell to her feet gracefully. With a small scowl, she looked away and walked briskly to the stairs. Nissa watched vigilantly, only letting out a shaky breath as Liliana's steps could no longer be heard with her elven hearing.

Her knees gave out and Nissa fell back to the tree for support as she sunk to the ground. Tears warmed her cheeks as her chest began to rack with sobs. Disgust coiled in her stomach and she felt more alone than she had at her initial departure from Zendikar.

Rubbing at her eyes with frustration, she cursed what seemed like weakness, even if no one was there to see it. In a rare moment of acting before thinking, she found herself walking down the stairs, her feet picking up speed to the point only her inhuman grace kept her from stumbling. Her knuckles were rapping at the door before she could stop and think about what she was doing.

It only dawned on her she was at Chandra's door as it began to open. Ruffled hair framing a sleep weary face, Chandra muffled a yawn.

"Did I wake you?" Nissa asked so quietly she didn't know if Chandra would hear her.

As she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, Chandra finally got a good look at Nissa as asked," Is everything okay?" The red rimmed eyes shown brightly in the candlelight that lit the halls.

Nissa nodded, but her face crinkled back to almost crying. Smiling through a grimace, she tried to say she was fine, but a shudder of a sigh came forth instead. Doubt skittered against her brain; was she overreacting? Nothing had happened, but as she thought of it, her cheeks burned and she felt ill.

"Could we spend the night together?" She had a hard time looking Chandra in the eyes as she requested something so childish. This was like her begging her mother to crawl into bed with her after an animist nightmare.

"Y-yeah, 'course," Chandra mumbled out opening her door wide and stumbling back over a mess of clothes.

Nissa peeked in, not finding the mess any more comforting than the angles they hid. Quietly, she suggested," On the roof?"

"I promise it's a clean mess," Chandra hurried, self consciously kicking piles to the one larger pile and picking up a few embarrassing items and tossing them to the corner.

Raising her hands Nissa assured her," It's not the…" Her tongue stilled as she fumbled as to what refer to this chaotic disarray. "Clothes," she settled for. "All these rooms are just so… squared."

"Right," Chandra agreed like she understood, looking down at herself and deciding she should be warm enough with a blanket. She grabbed a blanket from a "clean mess" of a pile and extended a hand for Nissa to hold, awkwardly bringing it back to her side as it wasn't taken. The way Nissa stared, Chandra would have thought her hand was dirty with soot or something. She checked! She was mostly clean.

Taking in the nervous curve Chandra's eyebrows took, Nissa hugged her arms to herself and explained," I just don't like a lot of contact." She'd had enough tonight to last her weeks; it probably wouldn't leave her nightmares untouched.

"Oh," Chandra said, sucking her breath through her teeth as she bought about how much she'd casually touched Nissa over the months. She wasn't nearly as haptics happy as Gideon, but she clapped people's shoulders and elbowed enough.

"It's fine." Nissa didn't want to waste the emotional energy on dealing with this small inconvenience when she was so drained from much greater issues.

They made their way to the roof silently. Nissa lead the way, as if it were her own territory she was bringing Chandra to. The garden really had come to be her responsibility. When they'd all moved in, it had had some dried out bushes on their last leg of health and a withered tree that looked like one more windy day would take it out. Now, the garden boasted of life, radiating its health.

Without a second thought, Nissa took two graceful steps up the central tree, grabbing hold of the low hanging branch and pulling herself into its cradle and sitting.

"You sleep in a tree?"

"Yeah," she replied with a tone that suggested she'd been asked about something as normal as breathing.

Realizing she'd sounded kind of incredulous and insulting about what was probably her go-to on her home plane, Chandra rubbed at her neck and tried to save face with," Wow, that's really cool. I'd probably fall out like an idiot."

"It takes practice, but I promise you wouldn't."

Chandra could notice the hint of movement in some vines that hung about the tree's limbs. Smirking, she joked," Gonna buckle me in?"

"Buckle?"

"You know, like, a seatbelt… In a… Never mind." It seemed sometimes like most planes had barely figured out the wheel, let alone vehicles. Discarding her blanket, Chandra pushed up the sleeves of her sleep shirt and readied herself for a daring climb.

Nissa helped Chandra into the tree, amused by her floundering as she tried to drag herself up the trunk. Chandra had climbed trees as a kid but only hastily and it always ended up in scraped knees. Perhaps she'd practice more now that she realized it was a way to spend more intimate time with Nissa. Practice when no one was looking.

Nissa stared up at the stars, wishing again that she could actually make out any constellations even if they wouldn't be her stars. A soft sigh left her, the stress of earlier still shivering through her chest. An idle thought here or there would grip her, and only the radiating heat beside her assuaged her lurking fear that Liliana would come back and finish what she started.

Chandra looked to Nissa, wondering what was the matter. "Is it homesickness? We've been on this plane a long time."

Nissa shook her head, but volunteered no information.

"Sometimes I miss my home plane, but I can't imagine ever going back there." Seeing an understandably questioning gaze sent her way, Chandra added," Pyromancy wasn't exactly popular there."

Nissa could understand one's innate magic being feared and mistrusted by the locals.

Chandra teetered as she laid beside Nissa, her balance on the branch supporting her iffy at best. A vine quickly snaked around her waist. Gripping the vine with surprise, then relief, Chandra laughed and muttered thanks. Once she was sure she wouldn't fall, she rested her hand to the side again. Her heart nearly burst out of her chest as she felt Nissa's slim fingers curling over hers.

Orange eyes skittering to breathtakingly full green eyes, Chandra tentatively smiled and turned her hand so their hands could clasp together. Their mutual gaze fell only after a near minute, and a silence Nissa found refreshing in its companionship grew.

Maybe ten minutes passed, maybe half an hour. Nissa couldn't be sure as she gripped the hand softly and soaked in its confident warmth. Her eyes flitted to Chandra frequently, though she would look away as Chandra's eyes fell to her. Their time together was easy, aside from the sick feeling in Nissa's stomach that she was only barely keeping at bay. It was getting late, Nissa acknowledged as she looked to Chandra once more.

Nissa could see Chandra was struggling to hold back yawns, her eyes tearing up as her neck tensed up with restrained yawn after another. Smiling warmly, she said," It's okay to go back to sleep—if you're okay with sleeping in a tree—I woke you up. You must be tired."

"I'm not sleepy at all," Chandra protested, stifling a large yawn she couldn't hold back. That being said, she didn't protest as Nissa pushed her back into the crook of the branch, her head coming to rest on soft moss. Vines brought her blanket up and Nissa gingerly tucked the other in, securing her friend so she couldn't fall out but could also escape easily should she wish.

Standing and taking the branch above Chandra, Nissa fell asleep peacefully with supportive warmth gracing her back and limbs.


	4. Chapter 4

Gideon insisted training some sort of weapon with everyone. He cautioned that there were planes that locked out certain elements of mana that could leave planeswalkers stranded, and that to survive, one needed some head for martial skill.

The first time he'd approached Nissa, she'd privately scoffed at his presumption that she needed his help but politely declined. The next time he came offering, he made more clear: sparring was good for keeping up old skills and for building camaraderie. After her bitter experience with building camaraderie with Liliana, that was the last thing she wanted.

She caved though, over the weeks. Chandra had so many good things to say about him, and she _did_ need to practice sword work anyways. He had become reluctant to ask if she wanted to train, accepting her disinterest with a reigned in pout, so when she finally made up her mind to train, she had to reach out to him.

"What type of sword do you have practice with?" Gideon asked enthusiastically as he lead her to the room of Jace's sanctuary that he'd slowly converted into a training ground. 

Tilting her staff so that she could easily unsheath the slim sword she'd practiced all her life, she used her thumb to reveal a glimpse of the concealed weapon. Only after he'd noticed, she quickly unsheathed it and held the empty scabbard backhand as a form of shield. Though the Stem Sword was more powerful than the rapiers she wielded in her youth, it was the same style that let her skewer problems with deft precision and careful twists of the wrist.

"That is a gorgeous blade," Gideon commented, properly reverent of the artifact's splendor.

Nissa casually examined it, spinning it and coming to abrupt pauses to test balance rather than any pointless showmanship. It glowed lightly in her grasp, as if knowing she held no quarry at the moment but promising it would be ready should she need it. She appreciated the living support of the twining branch that protected her hand and promised the sword's wielder a perfect grip.

Gideon watched her balance the immaculate blade and commented," I'd ask if I could see it, but I doubt my hand would even fit in that hilt."

"It would not accommodate you," Nissa said, dispelling any doubt, unaware of her brusque wording.

"While I tend to prefer my sural, if I have to use a blade, I typically go for a gladius or long sword."

Quirking one eyebrow, Nissa casually commented," I can fend off whichever type of weapon you use." She didn't understand why this drew a large smile and the beginnings of a laugh from Gideon.

"Alright. Well, why don't we focus on defense against a weapon you haven't faced very often," Gideon suggested, enjoying her confident, accidental boasting.

Nissa looked to the racks of weapons Gideon pointed to, eyes passing over many styles of blades and staffs. She recognized many of the styles of swords, even if she could not name them, from her limited travels. Swords were the martial equivalent to bread, and she'd never been to a world that had not discovered some style of blade in their past. She needed a double take as she saw a particularly non-standard design.

"What is that sword called?" She pointed to the short blade with a curved prong at its base. "I've never seen a design like that."

"Ah, that's a jitte," Gideon answered, fondly picking it up from the rack. "It's actually not a sword, purposefully so. It's carried by officers and guards of Kamigawa. Have you ever been?"

"I never planeswalked all that often when the Eldrazi started emerging. I've only been to a handful of planes."

All the weapons set out for training were wooden or blunted, and the jitte was no exception. It was made of a durable, well oiled hardwood from Kamigawa and faceted to encourage incoming weapons to keep moving. The tassel was an ornate silken tie, its golden and navy design dull in its well worn and aged life.

"You're not going to use a wooden weapon against my Stem Sword?"

"It's designed to be plenty effective against metal weapons," he assured her. "It would make a poor choice against you if you wore metal armor, but there's ways to curb such disadvantage." He himself wore only a leather cuirass and bracers over his teal, short sleeved tunic and leather pants, a similar level of protection to Nissa's standard garb.

She was still unsure, uncertain if training was really necessary or helpful and reluctant to possibly harm her teammate, but he seemed certain. Very few things seemed certain in her life right now, so she gave to his charming optimism and squared off for some gentle sparring.

It started slow, Gideon eager to explain everything he was doing and what other scenarios such a block or strike may be useful in. Nissa couldn't tell if this was what Liliana had attributed to their individualistic need to talk about their current experience, because he was just excited about combat and showing off his proficiency, or because he genuinely wanted to impart knowledge that may one day save her life. 

As time went on, they sped up their sparring, to true combat speed, breaking every couple of seconds as someone made contact with the other. _Still_ , he took the time to congratulate a good strike or explain the stance he'd used to block her thrust, and she began to feel like his conversation was a good-hearted, though slightly annoying, blend of all three motivators. He really wanted her to get everything she could out of this sparring session, and he'd studied combat all around the multiverse to the point his vocation could be considered an obsession.

They lined up to start again, both favoring a leg forward so that their bodies both faced the same side of the room—an open stance, he'd referred to it—and Gideon lunged forward, swinging the jitte from outside. She instinctively stepped back and dropped the tip of her sword as she moved to block. 

His words of warning from three rounds ago rang in her head half a second too late, and she watched as he twisted the rod in his hand so that pushing forward caught her blade between the shaft and prong. She tried to pull free, but didn't manage in time as he applied pressure and drove forward with his open arm barring her chest as the jitte disarmed her completely.

They both fell, toppling over her, and only as she hit the ground did she realize he'd dropped his own weapon to cradle her head and neck so his forearm made contact with the floor instead, and he took care to widen his stance so he could keep his weight from colliding with her. Golden energy rippled around him, and extended to her form like an ivy trying to scale a great oak.

The clatter of both their weapons was still ringing in the open room as he quickly let go of her and used a hand to either side of her body to push himself to standing.

Despite his care, the breath was knocked out of her, and she watched a little dazedly as he righted himself and offered a hand up. "I'm sorry, that was a little aggressive," he apologized, chest heaving from the sweat they'd both worked up. A smile warmed his face as she took his hand up. "You weren't kidding when you said you were well-trained with a sword, but I let myself get out of hand."

"I never said that," Nissa said softly, wondering if that was a normal human trait. First, they had to describe every second of their life, and next, ascribe thoughts and feelings of others out loud like weren't merely guessing?

He began to unbuckle his chest guard and held it in one hand as he used the other to bring up the front of his shirt to wipe the sweat from his face. "You pretty heavily implied it," he said once sweat no longer threatened to run into his eyes. "Let's call practice for the day."

Nissa was more than okay with ending practice. Her arms would most likely tremble if she tried to hold them in front of her face. "Um, thank you," she began, unsure of how to phrase what she wanted to say. She'd never had a true sparring companion. She'd learned the art of the sword by the raw ferociousness of the Zendikari jungles. 

She picked up her sword and his jitte, handing him his fallen weapon before sheathing her own. Face to face, she said cautiously," I learned more than I thought I might." Sometimes when she spoke, she felt other's took her words more harshly than she intended, and she wanted to impart true gratitude.

No matter how terse her wording was, it brought an ear to ear grin to Gideon's face and a belly laugh. "That's good to hear! Would you like to spar again sometime? I could use the practice sparring so freely."

Nissa surprised herself as she answered without consideration. "Yes, that would be good." She almost cut herself off and declined right away, but sparring had been good for her. She hadn't thought about how claustrophobic she felt on Ravnica, or how she feared seeing Liliana one on one, or anything else of the myriad problems she'd been slogging through largely herself.


	5. Chapter 5

Since Jace had broken his hand, he'd been gone more and more often. He'd gone from a few days absence every now and then, to barely at the sanctum and only passing by to pick up books for research. Nissa was enjoying a quiet cup of tea when he came rushing into his library and walked past her without noticing.

He was scouring a wall of books intently as she walked up and asked," What are you looking for?"

The shrill yelp that left him as he jumped out of his skin and turned to her with an expression of shock would have had some members of the Gatewatch laughing heartily, but Nissa just stood there with her cup of tea and continued softly," Maybe I could help you find it."

"R-right, sorry, I didn't realize anyone else was in the room."

He looked frazzled, hair peaking in random clumps like he'd been pulling at it like he sometimes did when he was writing down notes, bags under his eyes, and with a nervous energy like he was running late. Nissa noted all of this and wondered what he was up to, and how deeply in thought he had to be for her to accidentally get the drop on him despite his usual mental awareness of his surroundings and its inhabitants.

Concern cinched at her brow as she commented," You've been absent a lot recently."

He was already absorbed in scanning his bookshelves for whatever he'd come back to the sanctum to pick up, and she felt his mind press itself against hers invitingly. She accepted the shift from verbal communication to the mental relay that was harder to define but easier for her to converse through.

She too began to scan the bookcase for the particular spine of a book he needed, and she placed her thoughts to impart her curiousness around his large absences. In return, a feeling a fervent research wrapped her up, and it was hard to push through and continue searching for the book, its zeal wanting her to return to the lab that she'd never been to so she could take back up her pen and continue working on a project she'd never seen. She didn't learn the intricacies of the project or who he was working on it with, but she could feel the abandon such research allowed him, and the almost fugue-like state he sometimes entered while working on such a puzzle.

The pattern of this shelf of books was different than that of the rest of the shelves on this bookcase, and if she had to guess, someone had probably knocked it out of order and attempted to cover their mistake. As her recognition of the difference in pattern hit his brain, he began working out what the new pattern was, but his thoughts of the original pattern clouded his mind too much. She had to ignore his puzzling to work it out herself, then shared what she'd figured out.

"Thank you," he said with a relieved sigh as he grabbed the tome he wanted, able to work out where it would be according to the pattern she'd discovered.

With their minds connected as they were, Nissa hazzarded an attempt at learning more about his recent absence and asked aloud," Where have you been recently?"

The intermingled connection ended abruptly as Jace turned to her and shunted her mental projection out of his head. While she craved such a connection, he was ultimately much more in control and could choose to allow it or end it as he pleased. Guilt had been forefront in his mind as he forced her out, and her curiosity only bloomed more.

"I've been helping a friend with an invention," he said stiltedly, his trust a little disrupted by her use of a tactic he'd often relied on. He wasn't used to someone else directing his thoughts so they may read the information they wanted, and it left him a little uneasy how violated he currently felt with how often he employed the same strategy.

She almost said more, mentioned how Gideon had seemed down their last time they sparred, how he should forgive Gideon for the sparring that had left him with a broken hand. Gideon certainly never meant—

"I should be going. I promised I would be right back," Jace said, holding the book to his chest and looking like he might curl up and die with how exhausted he was. "Thank you for your assistance."

"You should get some rest," Nissa said, concern pinching her face as she looked over his hunched form once more.

"We're so close to test runs," he said with an air of dismissal. "It would be a shame to slow things down now."

"It would be a shame if you weren't able to stay awake for 'test runs'," she countered.

This got a dry laugh out of him, and he muttered," I'll mention it to Ral."

Nissa assumed this must be the partner he was working with in the lab, though she knew no one by that name.

~~  
~~

Gideon chose a spear today, and Nissa found it just as annoying to fight against as the bo staff had been. It gave him so much distance, especially with their difference in height, and while the point was dulled, the time he got a successful thrust in was going to leave a bruise on her hip. She had gotten a few good parries that had let her get the warm satisfaction of seeing him need to raise his magic defenses.

The satisfaction grew less and less as she got successive hits in. Their first sparring match, and the next few after that, had been dynamic and heart-pounding. She had been lost in the dance of combat and had to remind herself to pull her stabs here and there, but today's session seemed like an uninspired drill, its exchange sluggish.

As she scored another stab that he only barely raised his defenses for, slowly enough that she still sliced through his pant leg and tore the leather apart at the knee, Gideon sighed and held a hand up in surrender. "I apologize, Nissa. My… my heart isn't in this today," he said, his voice weighted with weariness. He couldn't remember another time in his adult life he'd been so unenthusiastic to fight, true combat or sparring alike.

"We don't need to spar today," she offered. "We could pick it back up tomorrow."

Her ears drooped a little as he nodded, seeing he was forcing himself to agree. "Yes, um, I think I should take your advice. Perhaps I need a few days. Then we can pick sparring up. We haven't worked on your elemental powers at all yet."

She remembered her words, though wondered his interpretation. She had meant he should focus on caring for himself, whether it be through time alone or asking another for help, more often _all the time_ , not just as a short vacation. Her thoughts drifted to Jace, who was keeping his distance—inventing—and she wondered if Gideon's sudden eagerness to agree to her advice had anything to do with that, and if so, what he thought just a few days to himself would accomplish.

Nissa didn't know how to put all of that into words, how to properly convey her concern without overstepping her boundaries—what Gideon might consider her boundaries as a friend to even be when he talked so freely for both of them. 

As she saw him place the polearm back in its place on the rack, she sheepishly thought she had squandered her chance to ask him anything and that perhaps it wasn't her place to open such a personal conversation up, friends or no. Her eyes dropped to the floor in shame as he left the gym, wishing she knew how to converse with these wildly different people, and hating that the person that seemed best equipped to answer her questions was someone she never wanted to talk to again, no matter how she missed their meetings on the rooftop.


	6. Chapter 6

It was the dead of night, Nissa long asleep. She was roused from her dreams harshly, the pull of a stark feeling of death enveloping her. As she gasped and opened her eyes, full consciousness dawning instantly, she came to realize it was the world of Ravnica she had felt. A large patch of Ravnica's nature had been swallowed in decay too suddenly, and its despair ached in Nissa's chest.

She had to find its source. There was no doubt in her mind. That had been why the foreign soil had called to her so strongly; it begged her help.

Nissa departed with a minute's preparation, and felt the tug of black mana that called her to attend to it. It was in the city's outskirts, a spot where nature showed itself free of guild domain. Nissa had to cross through the city, to a far reach away from the Guildpact's street entrance. It took her some time to break from the city, and some time more to travel through the forest until she found the large patch of perished nature.

She felt swallowed as she entered, the emanating mana dark and cold. Its berth was wide, for she couldn't see the patch's other side as she entered, and her sight reached out almost twenty meters even with how dense the forest was.

She could make out a swath of violet however, at the very reaches of her vision where the trees began to blur in their numeracy to build a wall. Death and violet almost certainly meant one thing, and Nissa's stomach sank. Looking behind her as she almost headed straight back, she saw more bushes begin to wither as the decomposition spread. Sighing and placing a readied hand at her sword hidden in her staff, she forged on.

The stifled sobs surprised Nissa, her ears twitching as they caught the small sound, but the full wrack of grief that finally broke out further shocked her. What could have the unflappable Liliana Vess crying, much less sobbing?

Her footsteps were silent, her gait well attuned to the forest and not betraying her. With such stealth, she didn't know how to make her presence known as she had inadvertently snuck up on the necromancer. Nissa honestly would rather take advantage of this and just leave, but her bleeding heart wouldn't let her.

Liliana was always so composed, and perhaps had fallen to venomous scorn or despair once or twice in Nissa's presence, but Nissa had never seen her openly cry. Well, this wasn't openly. This was private, as far as Liliana knew—Nissa felt a pang of guilt as she continued to watch, afraid to actually step in. Breathing in a deep sigh of resolve, Nissa closed the distance between them, purposefully treading loudly.

Liliana's head snapped up as a branch snapped, quickly running hands over her eyes and cheeks and trying to make her hair presentable all at once, only really succeeding in smearing the dripping makeup and catching a snarl painfully. As she caught sight of Nissa, she caustically asked," What are _you_ doing here?"

"I…" Nissa momentarily blanked before looking away nervously and seeing blatant reminders. "The forest called to me. I felt the decay."

"So you came to investigate," Lili filled in, more calmly fixing her hair now into a loose ponytail. She'd given up on elegance for the night, but perhaps collected was still achievable.

Nissa looked back tentatively, then nodded. She waited for a bit, then asked," What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Liliana bit out sullenly.

Nissa raised an eyebrow as she looked around at the evidence to the contrary.

Another hiccup of a sob escaped and Liliana admitted," I saw Jace pass Gideon as he left today, and… The way he smiled at him… That smile used to be for _me_." 

Liliana cursed under her breath as she rubbed more tears from her cheek. Looking down at her black smudged hands, she scoffed at herself.

Nissa wryly wondered how Jace could have even smiled at Gideon with how much time he spent at the lab with some man named "Ral" these days and how hurriedly he rushed through his sanctum if actually there, but any potential humor her response may have had was stamped out by how clearly Liliana was in pain.

"I'm sorry," Nissa offered hesitantly sitting on a fallen log across from Lili. She hadn't realized Jace and Liliana used to be involved. They had obviously had history, and Liliana had done something to mangle their relationship. She ruefully thought that maybe she should have asked.

With a bitter growl, Lili spat," And he fell for that slab of beef who can barely claim to have a brain. I've risen zombies that were smarter!"

Nissa didn't really know what Liliana expected from her. She wasn't going to speak badly of her teammate, nor did she want to upset Liliana. A shiver trailed down her spine, the creeping death around her beginning to make her skin tingle. Her discomfort as she rubbed at her arms to shake the chill was obvious, and she felt a distinct withdrawal of energy around her. The death and gloom around her didn't fade in the slightest, but Nissa was pretty sure the spread of decay had ended. Ravnica no longer called to her despairingly.

"A lot happened between us, but I cared for him so deeply, even if he couldn't see it. A-and," Liliana had to take a stuttering breath to compose her words and bolster their clarity. "And, I hoped we might be able to mend broken bridges, but then that lug of a brute pulled Jace away to be a stupid hero."

Nissa could guess that she was referring to Jace and Gideon's arrival on Zendikar. "I'm glad they were there for Zendikar. We would have never outlast the Eldrazi without the Gatewatch forming," she said sincerely. Lili might not want to hear it, but she had to know that Jace's presence was key to the survival of Nissa's own plane.

Batting away angry tears, Liliana glared at Nissa. "Of course you're on his side. Sure the multiverse needed saving—but why should I have to suffer for it?"

She smeared her makeup even more then continued breathlessly," I just—I've been there for him for so much! I stayed with him even when he didn't know who he was. I kept him safe and helped his mind return to its proper body. I saved him from a fate worse than death and broke him out a highly guarded cell to do it. I-I…" She broke into fresh tears, covering her face with her hands and giving up trying to keep her shoulders from wracking with her sobs.

"But does he—"

"He never came back," Liliana said softly, her words warbling slightly. "I thought he would. As months passed, I thought he would, but he never did. I had to go to him." _She_ went to _him_. That wasn't how she worked. Liliana Vess didn't go begging at the heels of estranged lovers, that was the wrong side of things.

"And he left you to help my plane."

Liliana wasn't used to the idea of being left, passed up, ignored and tossed to the side. She'd gotten her hopes up on Innistrad when she allowed him safe refuge in her manor, but then he hadn't been there for her again. He'd had a deathwish and been crazed by the cryptoliths. 

Why was it the first time she actually loved someone, they wanted nothing to do with her? She looked bitterly towards Nissa, who'd also turned her down. A small prickle of regret unsettled her stomach. Nissa had been good company, not great, but better than trying to talk to the slab of meat that wore armor. She had mucked up their friendship, and all to get on Jace's nerves, which no fruit ever came of.

"He left me to save Innistrad too. I think he's just gone."

Nissa frowned, unsure of what to say.

"Like you," Liliana murmured, her eyes making tentative contact with Nissa's.

Clearing her throat, Nissa got her feet and kept her eyes downcast as she said," I think it would be best if we didn't meet one on one anymore."

Liliana smirked despite the sorrow that creased the rest of her face. "What about now?"

With the bluntness only offered by the knowledge she spoke to one who had mentored her to be so, Nissa said unwaveringly," I'm not comfortable being here."

Liliana bit her lip as she bowed her head. That was deserved. She almost felt compelled to say sorry, but her reticent tongue wouldn't let her admit her wrongs or give away apologies. Instead she took a steadying breath and said calmly," You came all the way out here to tell me you don't like me? Shove in my face that I'll be alone forever?"

Nissa didn't rise to the bait. "I came out here to end the distress upon Ravnica's soul. I'm sorry it came from your own misery, but I don't have any warm words for you."

"It's fine," Liliana bit back, clearly not fine with what was said.

"I… I want to be friends again, Lili, but it just can't be like before. We can't hang out alone."

Liliana stood up slowly, her heart aching enough to make physical work hurt. "Maybe a girl's night out," Liliana suggested, lip curling at the thought of being their third wheel. "I heard there's an Orzhova orchestra playing their traditional ghastly dirge next week."

Nissa wasn't like Chandra, quick to answer and think it out later, nor was she like Jace, good at floundering and picking the worst option anxiously. She weighed her thoughts as she looked Liliana in the eye. Lili's violet eyes were surprisingly dull, soft with sadness.

"Sure," she agreed after half a minute of debating.

Ready to leave, Nissa hesitated only to offer some advice like Lili had to her so often. "You should talk to them, but perhaps Gideon first. Jace is too rash with his emotions. I think he's very hurt over you. I doubt he understands how you feel." She had never picked up that Liliana harbored feelings for their teammate, Jace couldn't be faulted for not having realized her flirting had truth behind it given their curious history.

She couldn't handle anymore time in Liliana's presence and dipped her head in farewell before leaving quietly.

Liliana watched Nissa walk away, muttering under her breath," Thanks."

Nissa stopped, easily ten meters away but still able to hear. Looking over her shoulder, she nodded, then continued to return back to the sanctum. She felt better after giving advice. With a fiery resolve that seemed more up Chandra's alley, Nissa firmly decided she would be more active in her friends' lives. They were all meandering the multiverse together, each as lost as the other, and quiet support wasn't cutting it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading Nissa's and Liliana's slice of time on Ravnica. Their story was something I began writing at the same as, but did not fit with well, Looking Back/Standing Still narration. Early on I decided to split the three into a little set rather than break the pacing and try to blend all into a single story, even though that would have probably garnered more comments and kudos than this poor, short fic placed 5th in a series.
> 
> Give // Take will begin posting on Friday, Jan 10, and continue my trend of Wednesday/Friday posts through January. I may have to dial back and move to only Wednesdays for the next while after that, but this big fic is planned out in the realm of ~35 chapters and I'm eager to share.
> 
> My recent posts have been rather quiet, so if you have anything to share, even just your favorite piece of dialogue or a question I can vaguely answer about the series as a whole, I would really love to hear from you in the comments section. Thank you again for sticking through this series, and hoping your new year is off to a great start!


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